George R.R. Martin Shows What Westeros Actually Looks Like

According to Huffington Post, enigmatic author George R.R. Martin has been pleased with HBO‘s imagining of his best-selling fantasy epics, but the sprawling lands of Westeros look far different than how he originally envisioned them. Now, Game of Thrones‘ multi-million dollar set designs and special effects are certainly nothing to sneeze at, particularly in episodes such as Season Four’s “The Watchers on the Wall.” When the credits start rolling after episodes of this caliber, you feel as if the lights should come up around you, the feeling is strikingly cinematic for a television show.

George R.R. Martin, however, envisions the world of Westeros on an even grander scale — can you imagine? In preparation for the release of his latest book, The World of Ice and Fire (out now!), Martin worked with various illustrators like Marc Simonetti and Ted Nasmith to accurately capture exactly how the Seven Kingdoms look in his mind’s eye. Here’s a peak:

Winterfell

Here, Winterfell is like the snowy equivalent to King’s Landing: an Aspen vacay from the South. No squander from Ramsay Snow up in here.

Castle Black at The Wall

The village where the Night’s Watch resides is far more quaint than where they’re shacking up on the show. The Wall, however, is just as epic.

The Red Keep at King’s Landing

Okay, Martin might just be nitpicking this one because they look pretty darn similar.

The Iron Throne

There’s no way Joffrey would have been caught dead climbing that thing without being carried.

What do you think? Is Martin being a perfectionist about his own work? Sound off in the comments! To see the rest, check them out over at Huffington Post.